Chapter 6: Is History Repeating?
//7 Months After Noel’s Disappearance//
~~~~~~~~~~~{Starlie’s Point of View}~~~~~~~~~~~
Being apart from the Avengers had been good for me –or at least, that was what I’d been telling myself.
It was good that I was back on my own again. I didn’t need them and they didn’t need me. I needed to distance myself from secret agencies before everything blew up in my face again.
“How was Rome, honey?” My mother, Rachel, asked. I’d been staying with her on and off for the past seven months so I wouldn’t be followed by S.H.I.E.L.D –they wouldn’t risk exposure by sending agents out into the field around such a civilian populated area.
Mum lived in New Jersey, a far way away from where any of the Avengers were –except for maybe Tony and Steve, but I hadn’t run into them yet.
“It was fine.” I shrugged. “It gets a bit old after you’ve been there for the seventh time.” I lied. Rome was never boring, always the opposite. It seemed I had my most interesting missions when I was sent to Rome –although, my mother didn’t know that, and I was pretty sure she never would.
Mum thought I was a travel agent, and my absences were because I had to check out new holidaying locations for clients. So far, she hadn’t grown suspicious, so all was well. But I dreaded the day she started to question me –why I didn’t stay home more often, why I didn’t date, when would I finally ‘settle down and have a family’. Like I could ever have a family.
I sighed and sipped at the lemonade and stared at the chicken and lettuce sandwich she had just made me. I’d lost my appetite again.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him! His name rang in my mind for a million moments all squashed together, not having him around made me ache with loneliness. But I refused to call him. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I owed myself that; I needed some measure of self-respect to reserve.
“Star.” Mum looked down her nose at me with that ‘I know you’re upset’ look she’d mastered when I was fourteen.
“It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “Seriously, if it was I’d tell you.”
Mum, knowing I wouldn’t tell her even if she begged for days on end, gave up and shrugged. “You’ll tell me when you tell me.”
It got awkward fast. Mum and I hadn’t had a very stable relationship after she’d revealed to me who my real father was. It wasn’t that I was angry she hadn’t told me, but it was more ... I didn’t know how to tell her I’d gotten in touch with him and I don’t think she wanted to know but was curious anyway. But the subject never came up.
“So...” She peered at me through her long eyelashes (that I hadn’t received in that gene pool), “How’s your friend Noel?”
The name re-ignited a flame within me, somewhere deep down inside. I’d told her about Noel –not the specifics, just that I had a friend who was having some trouble with the law and that she’d run away and no one had heard from her in seven months.
“Um...” I tapped on my cup. “I’d rather not talk about that.”
There was no denying it; I hated Noel for leaving. People like Clint and Tony saw the easier side of things; she’d left because she didn’t have a choice –maybe she was blackmailed or she was just angry about what had happened between her and Tony. I saw the deeper effect that it had on everyone, especially Bru-my dad.
And I hate her for it. Everyone on the team stuck their neck out for Noel when she was in trouble, but when the slightest amount of trouble came her way and she had no help, she crossed over to the bad side without a second thought.
And all because of a boy. Tony Stark, no less! Possibly the most famous womanizer in the world, and she’d fallen for his charms –as if she hadn’t seen it coming!
Just then, my phone buzzed and I told Rachel that it was work and I had to take it.
I checked the caller I.D when I got outside and groaned, answering. “What do you want Barton?”
“Wow, hello to you to.” Was his snappy come-back. Barton and I had never been on good terms. The same went for Natasha and I –but we had a better understanding of each other.
“What do you want?” I repeated.
“We need you to come in.” Clint revealed. “It’s not Avengers business, but we found something you might be interested in. Tash and I were underground in New York when we found-”
I interrupted him, “Look Clint, I don’t have a lot of time right now, so cut to the chance.”
I could practically hear the eye roll on the other end of the line. “Well Banner, what do you know about Hydra?"
* * *
Author's Note: Hey! So..BOOM. HYDRA MAY OR MAY NOT BE BACK.
It's all just speculation right now, but you never know. lol
What did you think? We finally got to meet Starlie's mum! I think Rachel is pretty cool, I mean, she has a kid with Bruce Banner -that's cool in my books haha.
Starlie hates Noel -surprised? Not surprised? Why? Yeah, I had to make so people hate her and some still love her and some be on the fence so its like a Civil War kind of thing.
Next chapter is in Noel's point of view - what do you think that will entail?
Chapter should be up by Monday-ish. :)
Until then! Comment, vote, like!
*huggles* arielleblack.